The Pirates’ Francisco Cervelli, who’d reportedly given up catching after the latest in a series of debilitating concussions in late May, will begin a rehab assignment tomorrow with Double-A Altoona behind the plate, per mlb.com’s Adam Berry.
Cervelli, 33, walked back on his initial declaration a few days later, and has since expressed a fervid desire to return to his natural habitat. Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk noted Thursday that the longtime backstop would need final clearance from both the commissioner’s office and MLBPA, in addition to the Pirates’ own set of team doctors, to resume play behind the dish, though it appears such approval is mere formality at this point.
After a seven-year start to his career as backup for the Yankees, Cervelli came into his own in 2015 with the Pirates, slashing .295/.370/.401, good for 5.9 fWAR (a recently-inflated number buoyed by controversial pitch-framing statistics) in near-full-time play for the 98-win Buccos. An assortment of injuries has limited the Venezuelan to mostly part-time duty over the last four seasons, though he’s been wonderfully productive when healthy. An always-discerning eye (his walk percentage peaked at an exceptional 14.2% in 2016) has slipped a bit this year – strikeouts up, walks way down – and, coupled with bad luck on balls in play, has resulted in the 12-year-vet’s least productive major league season.
Still, Cervelli’s just a year removed from a 125 wRC+, 2.6 fWAR line in just 104 games, so it would greatly behoove the slumping Pirates to see what juice can still be squeezed from his once-ripe profile behind the dish. There’s been no word on the duration of the free-agent-to-be’s prospective rehab, or when Cervelli himself would like to return to the field, but it’s certainly a positive development regardless for a club who’s been hot on a silver linings trail after falling out of the race mid-July.
Is Cervelli a free agent after the year or is does he have a club option?
No option, he’s a free agent after the season.
So he’ll be auditioning for teams to show if he can still play Catcher.
He can still play decently.
But he is one foul tip from never playing again and possibly having a very serious injury.
Do you think any ML team will give him a contract?
He realized he can’t hit at any other position.
100%. Agent told him unless you catch your MLB career is over given your bat is useless at any other position.
Sounds like the words of a guy who has a brain injury—why does he get ANY say in this? Doctors opinions only, please! MLB is doing his LIFE wrong by not stepping in here…SMH
Why do you care?
Because MLB and his agent obviously don’t
getright11 – what a pointless post. go away.
Strike four, seriously? You have the cahonies to tell someone to go away? Now that, deserves a “smh”.
Maybe you didn’t read the part about needing approval from team doctors to be cleared to resume behind the plate?
Or are team doctors not doctors? Or do you think they’ve just been compromised with some weird conspiracy theory brewing in your mind? Lol
If a team of doctors clears him, they should all lose their license to practice. Cervelli is one shot away from having no quality of life.
For the record, Cervelli never said he’d given up catching.
That was an erroneous story by a local sociopath/reporter.
Why do you say sociopath?
If you listen to their talk shows or read their columns you would understand. The over exaggerate everything. They just don’t 2nd guess every thing any Pirates player, coach or front office person does. They insist that the actually would make the Pirates be in a worse situation just so they have more things to complain about. That help you understand?
No, I’m very specifically talking about the guy who calls the Pirates cheap and then refuses to properly pay his employees, who attacks and gets attacked by almost all of his former employees after they quit, who turns his cult like audience against those people and who has been accused of harassment by multiple women…all while constantly playing the victim.
He was on an interview saying he was not coming back. On video.
When, where and with whom? The original story resulted from an unrecorded conversation, which Cervelli denied, and other journalists deemed unprofessional.
Yeah I remember even at the time thinking it was being taken out of context/blown out of proportion. He was basically just venting in general about how tough the concussions had been on him and saying he was basically “done with everything” at that point. But in the same discussion/context anyone who was actually trying to understand what he was saying could grasp that he wasn’t really saying he was done – he was just frustrated and for lack of a better way of putting it – venting out loud about the whole thing in general. I don’t think he ever actually was considering trying to make a comeback at a different position — I think it’s possible he was considering retiring – though probably not seriously… but in the immediate aftermath of the story it was clear he never really meant to “announce” he was never going to catch again. He was just all around frustrated by things and considering his options.
Why?
The season has like six weeks left… the Pirates are just lifelessly coasting to the end of it… he has had a zillion concussions… just stay on the DL and don’t take another ball to the mask while riding a minor league bus.
He’s in a contract year and needs some breathing room to pick up mlb at bats. At age 33 he’s not going to get a long term look at the corner of/if spots, he’d be one slump away from a demotion to the minors. If he can repeat his 2018 performance at the plate then he could comfortably change positions while continuing his career. If he has a strong performance to end this year he could probably leverage that into a one year contract with an AL team that is willing to move him around and limit his starts at catcher.
Stallings has been better than expected, I’d say. His slash is very respectable.
He is hitting under the Mendoza line and the team said you come back as a catcher or you retire. That seems like the most probable reason he flipped so fast.
Ok PF.
and then he will go back on the IL in September
I’m always taken aback by Elias Diaz. On one hand, he seemingly has little power, which is somewhat amazing, given his size. On the other, is it me or does every replay capture him closing his eyes as the pitch crosses the plate while he is catching
Have to worry about Cervelli’s concussions and Stallings’ abilities. Isn’t there anyone in the Pirates farm system?
No todude,the closest catching prospect is 2-3 years away.
They do not even have a decent emergency catcher like they had last year with Lavarnway.
Diaz makes too many errors for me.He is a decent hitter,for a catcher.He has not hit with any power though this year.
Stallings has come along and seems to be about the same level as Diaz.
This is the main reason that they were interested in the two young catchers Ruiz and Smith from the Dodgers in the potential Vasquez trade.
This makes perfect sense.
It will take a few weeks to do the rehab,then he will come up Sept 1.
The Pirates May play him a game or two just to rest the other two guys.He will play a game or two at first base.He will pinch hit.
The season will then be over.
His career will then be over.If he is smart.
No one will sign him as a catcher.
Cervelli is entitled to try, but he’s made nearly $38M playing baseball, If there’s the smallest chance of suffering neurological damage, I’d give up catching. If that means there’s no job for him in 2020, not the end of the world. Under almost any circumstances, he’s not going get a substantial contract.
The smart move and the proud move aren’t always the same. Cervelli has a lot of pride. He either wants to go out on his terms or doesn’t think he’s done yet.
He will understand when he does not even get a minor league contract next year.
He will appreciate it several years down the road when he has no serious ill effects from all of these concussions.
His only chance would be to have become a utilityman this year but the Pirates minor leagues did not have the room.
They will miss his energy and enthusiasm much as they have missed SRod’s.They also do not have a leader as David Freese was traded and Cutch before him.This all would have been helpful during the current listless streak because Hurdle is incapable of lighting a fire under them.
There is no more “juice” to be
squeezed from this lemon.
Jorge,I think that you are referring to Cervelli.
You can also include Hurdle.
This team has so much young talent but so many changes need to be made. Hurdle’s usefulness to the organization has passed. The time is right to bring a new manager in from outside of the organization that brings a new approach. There is really no room for Cervelli if he can’t catch and Stallings has shown promise at the plate and on defense both this year.
Clint definitely has to go,the sooner the better.
Leaving Crick in today while Vasquez rusts is absolutely criminal.
Good point on outside of the organization but who?I think that Joe Giraldi was a good manager but would he or someone comparable want to come to Pittsburgh?They were lucky to get Hurdle,but they really need someone better than him now.
They really do need a change but I am not sure that ownership wants to do so,for whatever reason,
I don’t see Girardi going to work for “Bottom Line Bob.” I don’t have any names in mind but I think a younger manager like a Gabe Kapler or Kevin Cash would be a got fit and could better mentor all the younger talent like Bell, Reynolds and Newman better than an old school guy like Hurdle. The game is changing.
Gabe May be available if the Phillies do not get into the playoffs.
Not sure that he is the right one but there has to be some good young candidates out there.
Not sure that NH knows any though.
It may be difficult to attract anyone as Hurdle extracted promises in 2010 as he should have.The Pirates need an overhaul and I am not even sure now that NH should stay.He seems to be saying that one of the reasons that they have not won lately is because they have been playing winning teams.
The teams are winning because they get to play the Pirates.
This year had some promise,and I do think that they have a number of good players,but the lack of pitching depth has killed them this year.
And Hurdle really not knowing how to use a bullpen.
It should not be this obvious.